Deck13 Interactive’s follow-up to their sci-fi take on Dark Souls, ­The Surge 2, is still quite a ways off, but news is starting to trickle out. Just last week, publisher Focus Home Interactive officially opened up applications for the closed beta, although its relegated to only 50 people. That certainly did put a damper on my expectations of getting in, as I was a big fan of The Surge when it was released, even going so far as to prefer it over Team Ninja’s own offering, the critically acclaimed Nioh (which, coincidentally, has opened its own closed alpha testing as well).

While the chances of me getting through a closed alpha is all but gone, I am thankful for Rock Paper Shotgun and its coverage, which allowed them to snag 11 minutes of exclusive footage from The Surge 2. You can check out the footage below, and give their channel a subscribe if you like – they certainly deserve it just for the video narration alone.

Right off the bat, one thing I noticed about The Surge 2 is its focus on arguably the most fun mechanic introduced in the series: the ability to target and dismember any enemy limb. It looks like Deck13 has gone all out into making it a much more meaningful and enjoyable aspect, often highlighting limb-chopping moments with sleek slow-motion effects. There’s also a greater sense of freedom when it comes to movement, and it players don't feel as hampered as they were in the first title.

The setting has largely changed, going from gigantic factories filled with endless corridors to an almost peaceful overgrown park. The video narration notes that this area, however, is only part of the game’s giant open world interconnected map. It looks like that will play into a pretty big role as well, and I could not be any happier about it; interconnectivity allows you to go to places where enemies are stronger even before you’re meant to be there, much like the original Dark Souls. This should open up some interesting non-linear gameplay, which could be a boon for players looking for a decent challenge.

Check out the rest of the video for more information on what changed with the title, although most of the video is just glorified limb-cutting while the video narration makes witty and snarky remarks from time to time. I’m not complaining, though.

The Surge 2 is set to be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC sometime this year.